ORLANDO, Fla. - George Zimmerman's attorney said his client's bail might have been set higher if a judge had known about $200,000 raised by a website. The information only came to light this week.
Mark O'Mara said on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 that he only learned about the money Wednesday and will inform a judge at a hearing Friday.
Friday's hearing was initially scheduled to deal with several media organizations, including The Associated Press, asking the judge to unseal documents from Zimmerman's court file, but the donations have now overshadowed that issue.
Meanwhile, according to CNN, the attorney for Trayvon Martin's family says Zimmerman should be back in jail because during a recent bond hearing he did not report to a judge that he had $204,000.
"They tried to portray themselves as indigent that they did not have any money," said Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump. "We think the court should revoke his bond immediately and he should be held accountable for misleading the court."
The website, created almost two weeks ago by Zimmerman's family, was made in an effort to receive donations for his legal defense and thank supporters. The site has since been shut down but O'Mara said he'll likely start a new defense fund for Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has been given about $204,000 from supporters, his lawyer Mark O'Mara said Thursday.
The 44-day delay in Zimmerman's arrest spurred protests nationwide and inspired a national debate about racial profiling, equal justice under the law and Florida's self-defense law. Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is from Peru.
Zimmerman has gone into hiding since his release on bail. Under terms of his bond, he has to wear a GPS ankle bracelet that authorities can use to track his location round the clock.
